Setting Expectations for 2017

2016 was quite the year. It had its amazing moments, like spending a week in San Francisco and enjoying the glory of the Pacific Ocean. It had its ups like traveling once a month, being in the wedding of one of my best friends, and finishing The Blended Ones. It also had its downs and low moments, but what is a year if not a collection of the good and bad?

Taking a look back, there are many significant moments I am grateful for. Each experience creates a new memory and helps me on the path of self-improvement and making the next 12 month exciting, productive, and magical. There are great things ahead and with that, here’s a peek at what to look forward to in 2017.

Word of the Year

Collaboration is the word is the year. There must be something in the air because one of the first emails I received on January 1 was titled: Collaboration. One of my favorite quotes which you’ve seen quite often if you’re a long-time reader of the blog is an old proverb.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

There are several variations of that proverb, but the meaning is key. You can do things faster if you do them alone, but if you want to make a bigger impact, start working with others. When I help a fellow author or entrepreneur meet their goals I get that refreshing sense of satisfaction of achievement. It is inspiring to look back and see how much one can accomplish through collaboration.

As a marketer, working with authors and entrepreneurs who reach a different audience is essential to creating a bigger impact. While my main priority is writing novels, I can’t help but adore the authors who are gaining traction with their writing and entrepreneurs who are seeing their website traffic and revenue rise.

Upcoming Collaborations and Projects

Since collaboration is the key word, there are several projects I’ve already started working on with entrepreneurs, and others which are upcoming.

Towards the 4th quarter of 2016 I started doing joint webinars and I’ll be bringing them back, plus some new ones.

Jodi Brandon

In 2016 I had the pleasure of doing a joint webinar with editor and seasoned publishing expert, Jodi Brandon. She is the author of Write. Publish. Market and works with solopreneurs and entrepreneurs, helping them get their work out into the world.

Curiouser Editing is my go to for all things regarding book marketing. Shayla Eaton, the founder of Curiouser Editing has done exponential things to help me with my book launching and marketing. In 2015 I scheduled a book marketing session with her and was blown away. You’ll be thrilled to learn from her in an upcoming webinar. She’s the one cheerleader you need for your work, plus she offers a ton of valuable resources.

A killer team of storytellers that I can’t wait to work with is EPOCH Studios. They are dedicated to the fantasy genre and releasing the hidden stories that haven’t been told yet. They have a blur of exciting initiatives in the pipeline and I recommend signing up for their email list so you’ll be the first to know.

Early in 2016, I was focused on active revenue instead of passive revenue. Mid-year I made the switch to focus exclusively on book marketing for indie authors launching their books. This change includes a bigger focus on courses and other passive revenue streams so I can dedicate more of my time to writing and collaborating. Kristin of Believe in a Budget played an instrumental part in this role. We met thanks to a sponsorship Comcast hired us for and have been co-working together ever since. Our Starbucks working sessions include coffee (duh), brainstorming and swapping ideas back and forth. We share our goals and what we need to do to get to the next level. We’ll be co-hosting a webinar this year, among other things.

One of the biggest projects I started working on a few months ago is Book Sales Page. It is the official course, show, and blog for your book landing page needs. All the lessons in the course strictly apply to the psychology behind the layout of your landing page or, as we call it, your book sales page. I teamed up with author, web designer, and entrepreneur Bradley Charbonneau. Fun fact, we met via UpWork and I worked for his web design agency as a freelance project manager for a while. We worked so well together and found our mindsets are so aligned, we decided to introduce Book Sales Page to save authors from terrible web design and help them sell more books.

The Four Worlds Series is an epic fantasy and Books Three and Four are where the action, adventure, and heroic deeds are centered. It’s over 1,000 pages of action-packed history, lore, prophecies, languages, battles scenes, powerful weapons, mortals, and immortals. In short, Books One and Two are all just a lovely setup for the finale, which is why they were the hardest books to write and also the shortest in the series.

When it comes down to setting expectations for the New Year, there are two things I recommend.

First off, write down your goals, expectations or resolutions, whatever you choose to call them.

Secondly, work on them.

I knew I wanted to finish writing The Blended Ones in 2016, the only way it happened was by working on one chapter a day in December. One day, everything clicked and I sat down and wrote 6 chapters in an evening. Sure, I missed days, and forgot to write, or was simply too tired. When push comes to solve, it is the action that will make it happen for you, regardless of whether you worked on your goals every single day or once a week. The important part is to keep going, no matter what, because you have everything you need to make big things happen.

Here’s to you and to making 2017 an amazing year. What are your expectations or your word for the year? Share in the comments below.